The Balearic PP is pressing for Aena president and CEO Maurici Lucena to appear before the Spanish Parliament's Joint Committee on Insularity to answer questions about the management of the Balearic Islands' airports, including alleged wastewater discharges and reported maintenance problems at Ibiza Airport.

The party's latest call, issued on September 19, comes as the island continues to debate Aena's plans to modernise Ibiza Airport and the wider question of how the Balearic institutions should participate in decisions affecting the airports.

A parliamentary appearance has already been requested

The PP's request is not the first formal initiative concerning Lucena's appearance.

The Popular Parliamentary Group in the Senate registered a request on June 10, 2026, asking for the Aena chairman and CEO to appear before the Joint Committee on Insularity.

The parliamentary initiative covers the management of the Balearic airports, investments already made and planned, expansion and modernisation projects, the situation at Palma, Ibiza and Menorca airports, future Airport Regulation Documents, relations between Aena and the regional and island administrations, measures to deal with peak-season operational saturation and Aena's promotional and commercial strategy.

The Congress currently lists the initiative as being at the committee's Mesa stage pending agreement.

The September statement from the PP adds specific Ibiza-related issues that the party says it wants raised during that appearance.

Wastewater discharges are among the issues

The PP says it wants explanations concerning alleged discharges from Ibiza Airport's wastewater treatment plant towards the Torrent de sa Font.

The torrent runs towards the area of Es Codolar and the Ses Salines Natural Park.

The party says more than a dozen environmental, social and neighbourhood organisations have reported what they describe as discharges containing fecal contamination.

At this stage, those claims should be treated as allegations. The available public information does not establish that the reported contamination has been judicially or scientifically confirmed or quantify any environmental damage.

PP wants to know what authorities knew

The party says it wants to establish when Aena and the relevant central government ministries became aware of the reported situation.

It is also asking what inspections and analyses have been carried out, what corrective measures have been adopted and whether there has been any impact on the Torrent de sa Font, groundwater, Es Codolar or the Ses Salines area.

Those questions have been put forward by the PP and should not be confused with established findings about the condition of the environment.

Aena operates its own treatment system

Ibiza Airport is not connected to the municipal wastewater network.

Aena says the airport operates its own wastewater treatment plant and that the site also has its own water-supply system rather than being connected to the municipal water network.

According to Aena, the airport is supplied through five authorised wells and the recovery of rainwater.

The arrangement means the airport is responsible for managing its own wastewater before it is discharged or reused in accordance with the applicable authorisations.

Aena documentation refers to peak-season overload

Earlier this month, Aena documentation concerning sanitation works stated that the airport's treatment plant was “currently overloaded in the peak months.”

The project is intended, among other things, to reduce the volume of water arriving at the treatment plant.

A separate Aena response said the company did not link the larger sanitation contract to the alleged discharges or the incidents reported during the summer.

The existence of peak-season overload does not by itself establish that illegal discharges occurred or that the overload caused an environmental impact.

Sanitation investment has increased

Aena is also preparing a new sanitation maintenance contract for Ibiza Airport with a maximum value of €220,000 excluding VAT and a duration of 12 months.

That compares with a previous six-month contract prepared in June with a budget of €32,000 excluding VAT.

The two contracts are not directly equivalent in duration or scope, and Aena has not stated that the larger budget was caused by the alleged discharges.

The published documentation does, however, show that further sanitation work is being planned at the airport.

Bathroom problems also raised by the PP

The PP says workers at Ibiza Airport have reported that a significant number of terminal toilets are not functioning correctly.

The party wants Lucena to explain the state of basic passenger facilities and how Aena is maintaining them during periods of high traffic.

These worker reports have not been presented by Aena as an official statement that a “significant number” of toilets are currently out of service.

Aena's own passenger information currently states that Ibiza Airport has accessible toilets distributed throughout its different areas.

Modernisation of Ibiza Airport is already planned

The dispute comes as Aena prepares a major modernisation of Ibiza Airport.

The company announced in June that the project is intended to adapt the terminal to new European security requirements while improving operational processes and passenger services.

The plans include changes to the boarding area, a centralised passport-control system, new security equipment, additional boarding facilities and improvements to toilets, waiting areas, children's areas and services for passengers with reduced mobility.

The project is therefore broader than simply increasing commercial space.

Aena says the project responds to operational needs

When Aena met with the Consell d'Eivissa and other island stakeholders in July, the company said the modernisation was intended to improve quality and safety while adapting the airport to European regulatory requirements.

Aena also said the enlarged boarding area would provide 32 gates and that eight new boarding bridges were planned.

The company said the changes were aimed at improving operations even with the same demand level.

That point is particularly relevant because the Balearic debate is now focused not only on infrastructure improvements but also on whether modernisation should be associated with greater passenger capacity.

The wider airport debate

The PP's request comes amid a broader political dispute over the future of the Balearic airports.

The party argues that Aena should provide greater explanations to the islands' institutions about planned investment, expansion and modernisation.

It has also criticised what it sees as insufficient dialogue between Aena and the Govern, the island councils and town halls. These are the PP's political arguments rather than an established assessment shared by all the institutions involved.

Ibiza Airport has handled record-level traffic

The debate is taking place as Ibiza Airport continues to handle very high passenger volumes.

Aena recorded 1,519,201 passengers at Ibiza Airport in August 2026, up 2.5% from August 2025.

Between January and August, the airport handled 6,778,163 passengers, an increase of 3% year-on-year.

These figures count airport passengers rather than individual tourists and include arrivals and departures.

The PP also raises commercial and advertising issues

The latest request goes beyond Ibiza's wastewater system and toilets.

The PP also wants questions about the amount of advertising in airport terminals, arguing that Aena should place clearer limits on commercial displays.

The party says it is concerned that airport terminals are increasingly being used as advertising spaces.

That is a political position put forward by the PP, not a finding by the parliamentary committee or airport regulator.

Menorca's control tower is part of the request

The party's proposed questioning would also cover Menorca Airport.

The PP wants Lucena to clarify the future of the physical control tower in Mahón amid discussion about the possible use of remote-control technology.

The party says it wants a commitment to maintaining a physical tower.

Again, that is the PP's position on the issue rather than a decision already taken to replace the tower.

The situation at Palma is also on the agenda

The parliamentary initiative already registered in June covers the three Balearic airports.

The PP says it also wants information about the continued works at Palma Airport, including their timetable and effect on passengers and staff.

The party has linked those concerns to its wider criticism of Aena's management of airport infrastructure in the islands.

Balearic institutions are seeking a greater role

The dispute is also connected to the Balearic Government's broader demand for greater involvement in airport planning.

Regional authorities have previously criticised the idea of airport investment being automatically associated with increased passenger numbers.

Aena's current Ibiza modernisation project, however, is officially presented as a response to European security requirements, operational needs and passenger services.

Wastewater and airport growth are separate questions

For Ibiza, one of the most important distinctions is between the airport's sanitation system and the wider debate over future passenger traffic.

An airport can require improvements to wastewater treatment, drainage and toilets simply because its existing systems need replacement or modernisation.

That does not by itself establish that the airport is being expanded to accommodate more passengers.

Similarly, concerns about potential environmental impacts need to be established through inspections, analyses and the relevant authorities rather than inferred from the existence of a larger maintenance contract.

What Aena says about the water system

Aena says the airport's regenerated water is currently used to irrigate green areas and can also be used for toilet flushing when it meets the required parameters.

The company also says the airport has a separate wastewater treatment system rather than a connection to an external sanitation network.

That information is relevant to the questions now being raised over the treatment plant's capacity and the management of wastewater.

What the PP wants explained

The party says Lucena should address:

The management and planned investment of the Balearic airports.

The modernisation projects at Palma, Ibiza and Menorca.

The reported wastewater discharges from Ibiza Airport.

The capacity and operation of the airport's treatment plant.

The reported condition of some terminal toilets.

The relationship between airport investment and passenger growth.

Advertising and commercial use of terminal spaces.

The future of the physical control tower at Menorca Airport.

No parliamentary conclusion has been reached

The September 19 announcement does not mean that the committee has established wrongdoing by Aena.

The PP is seeking explanations and raising allegations and political criticisms.

The existing June parliamentary request remains at the committee stage, and no appearance by Lucena has been confirmed in the material reviewed for this report.

The next stage

The immediate question is whether and when Lucena will appear before the Joint Committee on Insularity.

If the appearance proceeds, the Ibiza wastewater situation and the state of passenger facilities could become part of a wider discussion covering airport investment, modernisation and the relationship between Aena and the Balearic administrations.

Meanwhile, Aena's modernisation and sanitation projects are continuing through their respective planning and procurement processes.

A debate that extends beyond Ibiza Airport

The latest dispute reflects several separate questions now converging around Ibiza's airport: the condition of existing infrastructure, wastewater management, passenger facilities, future modernisation and the island's concern about the relationship between airport activity and tourism pressure.

The PP is demanding answers from Aena's leadership, while Aena continues to state that the modernisation project is intended to meet regulatory, operational and service requirements.

The parliamentary process will determine whether those issues are formally addressed by Lucena before the Joint Committee on Insularity.